Report # 24893(Class B)Submitted by witness on Monday, October 13, 2008.Possible sightings and strange incidents experienced by family at their rural home east of Gainesville(Show Printer-friendly Version)

LOCATION DETAILS: Property is surrounded by woods with house nearby on all sides. Houses are separated by woods. Large lake nearby with swamp areas. Large Geogia Pacific Paper mill and tree growing farm half mile east of property.

NEAREST TOWN: Hawthorne

NEAREST ROAD: U.S. 301

OBSERVED: Walked out the door with phone in hand. Stood on front porch and sat down on porch step. Looked toward east side of property near chicken coop. I caught a quick glimpse of a tall hairy figure standing in woods and then running. Figure was taller that 6 foot. After it ran off I heard knocking in the woods. Prior to this my dad walked toward the coop and something growled at him. He ran back in and got his gun and it ran away.

This site was first visited on 10/5/08 by two BFRO investigators in mid afternoon. The home owner and her 17 year old son toured the property with us and took us to surrounding areas of wilderness that might harbor a creature in a hidden fashion. We observed said chicken/duck cage and alleged track way where something was heard running adjacent to their property. We attached a banana to the side of their trailer where they had heard knocks on it during the night. It was never taken. We also left a bunch on bananas on top of an abandoned refrigerator where the animal allegedly ran back and forth on their property. None were taken. On 9/10, BFRO Investigator, CC received a call from the witness saying the 17 year-old had allegedly seen the creature standing adjacent to the chicken cage. It ran away upon being seen, according to the witness. Since it was dark, he could only see the figure, and could not give a description, other than that it was very big, over 6' and dark. Prior to the initial visit, chickens had stopped laying eggs, or eggs were taken. A duck went missing from its cage around that time. The witnesses had also reported hearing bipedal foot falls on the edge of the woods on occasions where they made a bonfire in their yard. On one occasion, the 17 year old was in the bonfire area just after dark talking on the phone when he heard what he said sounded like chatter "in some strange language" coming from the direction where these other activities had taken place. He stated that the person on the other end of the phone could also hear the strange chatter. This continued for some time, ten to fifteen minutes. On another occasion, the grandmother reported watching the floor of their trailer heave upwards, as though something very big and powerful was underneath it. They also heard noises coming from the crawl space and wondered if the creature was taking refuge from a storm under there. They did not investigate. They also reported that if they left their outside light on at night, something would bang on the side of the trailer every few minutes until they turned off the light, after which time the banging would stop. Based on these reports, the investigators returned to the site for an evening bonfire. Upon arriving, the witness stated, "Y'all should have gotten here about 30 minutes ago. It was calling again!" However, no other calls were witnessed that night in the investigators' presence. Through the following months, such activities and reports diminished.

This was an ongoing investigation for several months, however these witnesses have since moved and contact with them has been lost. It is the opinion of these two BFRO investigators that this family was living close to sasquatches, and were experiencing regular visits by them.

About BFRO Investigator David Wright:

Certified Florida Master Naturalist (U. of Florida)

Visual Tracker, Level 1

Teaches Biology, A.P. Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Science at a rural high school SE of Jacksonville